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How To Hire Library Planning Consultants

By Lucia Weeks


It is never easy to manage a facility. It requires knowledge, expertise and the appropriate attitude. A task as important as cannot be handed on just anyone. You need reliable people who can effectively manage the facility for you. The best thing to do in this situation is to hire someone you could trust.

The library planning consultants can provide you the services you are looking for. They are experts in every steps from the planning and establishing to the operation of every type of libraries, may it be digital or traditional. Most of these professionals are librarians who worked in a depository firsthand. Others were coming from different fields but gained substantial exclusive knowledge related to libraries and the information systems in general.

Aside from the consultant's previous work experience, you must also consider the candidate's ability. Although it is true that seasoned librarians have the edge against other applicants, introducing someone who is relatively new could possibly bring in something fresh as well. Better yet, let an experienced adviser work with someone who is new to the field and you might be surprised of the great results it would yield.

Before you set out on your search, it is imperative that you fully understand what you are looking for. Identify your needs and set up a criteria. You have to ask yourself, what would be the tasks of the consultants, are the tasks pretty simple or is it quite complicated and requires expertise in a certain field and how many consultants should you hire.

This will help you identify the skills and abilities to look for in a candidate early on. In some cases, the tasks turned out to be more than what the consultant can handle, which led to unfavorable and unsatisfactory results. If you are anticipating a complex task, you might be needing more than one consultant. Each one must fit the duties and responsibilities that await.

After finalizing the details, you may get started with the selection process. Gather the names of qualified consultants in your area. The referrals of your friends and acquaintances can be helpful at this point. You also have other sources like the associations of librarians, the state agencies and the internet.

After gathering several names, filter your list. Contact the candidates to assess how they match the project. Provide each one with the bird's eye view on the tasks at hand, then ask them evaluation questions. Ask them what their understanding of the project is, if they are confident that they can apply their expertise on this project, what their methods for accomplishing it and can they possibly deliver within your given time frame.

This is your chance to discuss on the adviser's schedule as well. Expect the best consultants to be busy with several offers coming in. Still, a professional must allocate a fair amount of his time for the completion of his tasks. You must also talk about how you could communicate with one another to keep yourself updated on the progress status despite your busy schedules.

Finally, talk about the fee structures. Some consultants charge an hourly rate while the others charge a fixed rate throughout the contract's duration. If the project is composed of different stages, you may break down the payment in each stage if the candidate agrees. Since you must also think about the organization's financial status, you must be open to possible negotiations.




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